[Silthara Palace — The Midnight — Emperor's Chamber]
Night did not fall over Silthara. It settled. Slow… deliberate… like a veil drawn over something that refused to sleep.
Levin did not sleep; he lay still for a long moment, eyes closed, breath even—pretending. Then his lashes lifted wide awake.
"…So this is how it is now," he murmured faintly with a quiet complaint. "…Either I sleep too much or I do not sleep at all."
He turned his head slightly, and there—Zeramet lay beside him, or rather, around him. Massive silver coils wrapped loosely across the bed, one curved protectively beneath Levin, another draped over his legs, his tail coiling just enough to anchor him in place.
Not tight, not suffocating, but unmistakable.
Levin glanced down at his feet. They rested comfortably… trapped.
A soft sigh escaped him. "…I cannot even go for a walk anymore… Am I a consort…or a carefully guarded treasure? And...why am I pissed to see him sleep peacefully?"
